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I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, what makes Soccer so compelling is how quickly the whole game can be turned on it’s head in a moment. For 5 minutes after going up 3-0 against TFC, Crew SC lost focus and allowed Toronto to get back into the game 3-2. Once that happened the game was on. The Black and Gold had chances to put themselves back up by 2 goals which could have changed momentum back, but ultimately they squandered those chances and the game was decided on a late penalty. That’s now 6pts the Crew have lost this year after the 89th minute. Just for perspective, those 6pts would have us 1pt behind on the Supporter Shield race.

At a certain point of the year, a team is who it is and you just have to accept it as a fan. The Crew are a team that moves the ball around beautifully at times. They are a team that can score a lot of goals. You will be entertained by watching this side play. They are also a team that will lose focus at certain points during games which will cost them points. It is what it is. I don’t know if personnel changes will fix it, but with the transfer window open, it wouldn’t hurt to bring in a few defenders to shake things up. One thing is for certain, if they can some way find a way to change their stars, this is a team no one in MLS wants to play.

Crew SC next travel to Orlando to face this side for the fourth time this year. Their last meeting in Orlando was a 3-0 USOC loss which featured a full second team lineup against Orlando’s first team. In the previous MLS meeting the sides played to a 2-2 tie while the Black and Gold was down a man. It was one of the 3 games the Massive gave up 2pts after the 89th minute. Orlando is not playing well right now having gone 0-3-1 in their last 4 MLS matches. City had an offensive outburst against fellow expansion side NYCFC the last game, but lost the match 5-3. Before that game, they had scored just 1 goal in the previous 3 matches.

I hope you’ll join Crew Union at 4th Street Bar and Grill for our away watch party. Remember to bring your membership card for 20% off drinks and 25% off food. If you’re in the Cincinnati or Cleveland area, check out their bars to watch with other Crew fans. Please go here for details. Tickets for the August 19th NYCFC match are on sale in the webstore as well.

Also I hope you’ll check out the NorOnTour trip going to NYC 8/29. Deposits are as low as $40 to book your spot for the trip.

The greatest happiness in life is to scatter your enemy, to drive them before you, to see their cities reduced to ashes, and to see those who love them shrouded in tears.

That about adequately describes the joy of last week as the Crew took 6 points from Bridgeview F!re in 5 days. The 6pts propelled the Black and Gold into 2nd place in the East with 30pts, 5 points back of Eastern Conference leaders DC Scum and the Supporters Shield race (if I can be so bold). With Wil Trapp back in the starting lineup for the first time since the 3rd game of the year, Wednesday, in particular, was one of the most dominant Crew SC wins of the year. The 1-0 score was flattering to the suburban Sh!tcago club as their GK Sean Johnson had a heroic, if fruitless, performance in the Crew’s first road win of the season. Of course, this is what this team should be doing against the worst team in the league. Bridgeview has a team that matches their fans. Thank you Frank Yallop and Brian Bliss for all your hard work. May we see you next year.

But enough about dumpster fires, the Massive have won 3 of their last 4 and are 4-1-2 in their last 7 games. A lot is going well for the Crew right now. Wil Trapp is back, Kei Kamara is a beast, Pipa is Pipa, and Ethan Finlay is getting assists and scoring goals. However, the Black and Gold can’t afford to forget the lesson it learned in Montreal. Against Sh!tcago the team came out swinging, but that’s Shitcago, has the team really put it’s allowing weak early goals behind them? The free kick goal they allowed against the F!re doesn’t leave me feeling warm fuzzy on that front.

The Black and Gold next go up against another rival with Toronto FC coming to town on Saturday July 25 at 7:30pm. Toronto is a much different team then the one the Crew beat 2-0 on Crewsmas. Much of that credit has to go to Sebastian Giovinco. After all those years of throwing money around, the Terrible Football Team have finally found a DP worth the money. The diminutive Italian has been terrorizing MLS defenses, sitting among the league leaders in goals, assists, shots, and shots on goal. On Crewsmas day, Trapp and Mohammed Saeid were able to limit Giovinco’s impact even before the red card on Justin Morrow made everything a little easier. Does Berhalter stick with Saeid this game over Tony Tchani given how well Saeid matches up against Giovinco?

Crew SC were also able to keep Jozy Altidore and Michael Bradley under wraps the first time around. Bradley will be at the Gold Cup baring a US collapse in Atlanta against Jamaica in the semifinals Wednesday night, but Altidore was sent packing from the US Squad after the group stages. In the first game, Emmanuel Pogatetz absolutely bossed Altidore all game. However, the last couple games has seen Pogatetz out of the starting lineup in favor of Tyson Wahl. Does Poga get back in the first IX for this game?

Crew Union still have a few tickets for this match left in the webstore, but they won’t last long. It’s dollar night at the stadium and this has proven to be one of our more popular requests for tickets. It’s also the last home game until August 19th as the Crew go on their annual Ohio State Fair trek. The tailgate should get going around 4pm. North High Brewing will return with a keg for members because the only thing better then $1 beer is free beer. Edit: Tickets in the Nordecke are sold out. 7/21/15

Don’t forget that AO Columbus and Crew Union will host watch parties at Fourth Street Bar Wednesday at 6pm for the Gold Cup Semifinal match and for the Final Sunday at 7:30pm.

For those that don't know what FootGolf is, it's basically Golf, but with a Soccer Ball and larger holes. We have decided to break off those two foursomes into 4 spots representing 2 people each (You and a partner of your choosing). 1 spot was raffled at the Away Watch Party July 11th and 1 spot was raffled off to Crew Union Season Ticket Members. This raffle is for 1 spot for Crew Union members.

If you are interested in entering this raffle please fill out the form below by 8pm Wednesday, July 22. We will draw a name that night and contact the winner of the raffle to get information on the person they would like to bring with them as their partner.

PLEASE ONLY ENTER IF YOU ARE 100% SURE YOU WANT TO GO AND HAVE THE TIME TO GO TO THE EVENT. ONCE YOU AND YOUR PARTNER ARE REGISTERED, THE SPOT CAN NOT BE CHANGED.

Go Crew SC and good luck!!!!

Please submit your info below if you are interested in entering the raffle

So back to the drawing board for Crew SC after more early goals and another road defeat for the Black and Gold against Montreal. While there had been signs that the Crew were entering the second half of the season ready to become the team they are capable of being, there were equally signs a game like this could be coming. While the team hadn’t been punished for it over the past four weeks, they did show a penchant for giving up weak early goals. Against a team that likes to sit back and counter like Montreal, that’s a recipe for disaster. However, for good or bad, week 20 gives the Massive no time to dwell on this past game, as two games against the vile team from Bridgeview loom.

The week starts off with the Crew traveling to the Sh!tcago suburb for a Wednesday 8:30pm game and then return to Columbus for the home leg on Sunday July 19th at 5pm. The F!re come into the two games last in the East just like they were when we last saw them at Mapfre Stadium. Bridgeview is coming in with a bit of confidence beating a depleted Seattle team 1-0 on a stoppage time goal. Sound familiar?

Can Crew SC finally win one away from Mapfre? Can they keep from giving up the first goal? Can they get the 6 pts this week? Who knows with this team, anything is possible. Although if they could find a way to get it done, nothing would be sweeter then beating that vile putrid sad sack of a team twice in 2 weeks.

Join Crew Union at 4th Street Bar and Grill for our away watch party on Wednesday. As always, Tickets for the July 19th Shitcago match are on sale in the webstore. The tailgate will kick off about 2pm. We’ll have a North High Brewery keg available for members.

July 4th certainly provided some fireworks for Crew SC thanks to a total team effort against New York RedBull lead by Ethan Finlay and Kei Kamara. This was the type of game that a supporter really gets up for. Two teams, evenly matched, going end to end in a proverbial 6 pointer. The Black and Gold won the 3 points to propel themselves to 2nd in the East and keep the momentum swinging upward with their second straight home win. With Wil Trapp getting back after a long injury layoff and Cedrick Mabwati arriving in town to hopefully bolster the attack, one can’t help but feel the second half of the season is going to be special.

In order to keep the party going, the Massive is going to have to do something it hasn’t done by winning a road game as they next head to Montreal July 11th at 8pm. In their first meeting, the Crew found themselves at their lowest point in a stretch of games where nothing went right. Montreal came into Columbus and took it to the Black and Gold all night, winning coach Frank Klopas’ first road victory for the Impact since joining the side 2 years ago. That result has done nothing for the Impact’s season as they continue to sit second to last in the East on 18pts. The Crew on the other hand as gone 2-0-2 since that game.

This is a game the Crew simply should win and have to win to keep this string of positive results going forward. It’s not going to be easy, however. Montreal is a team that always gives Crew SC a hard match especially in Montreal. Their counterattacking style and team speed is something that just gives the Massive fits. Still if this team is going to show the caliber of play they are capable of and continue to move up the table, it’s these kinds of teams they have to exploit.

I hope you’ll join Crew Union at 4th Street Bar and Grill for our away watch party. Remember to bring your membership card for 20% off drinks and 25% off food. If you’re in the Cincinnati or Cleveland area, check out their bars to watch with other Crew fans. Please go here for details. Tickets for the July 19th Shitcago match are on sale in the webstore as well.

Congratulations to the Women’s National Team on their 3rd World Cup Championship. Carli Lloyds 3rd goal is easily 1 of the top 10 goals I’ve ever seen; Men’s or Women’s. Here all three of them are in all their glory. Hopefully some of that World Cup magic can be passed on to the Men’s team as they begin Gold Cup play this month.